What More Can I Do?
by xxEmilyy
Summary: Violet Harmon and her family escaped the Murder House. Now three years later she returns with her boyfriend, Ethan and his band, Road Block, as well as their two year old son, Evan. But Violet is hiding something from Ethan.
1. Welcome Home

It had been three years since Violet and her family packed up and left the Murder House. Now she was eighteen and at free will to do whatever she wanted. And the first thing she wanted to do was leave Boston because of all the memories that flooded her mind. The affair with Hayden, her mom's miscarriage, everything she didn't want to look back on. She looked to her boyfriend, Ethan, to help her escape. Violet and Ethan have been together for almost two years. They were happy, they loved each other as well as their son, Evan. Ethan was more than happy to take Violet anywhere, as long as his band could go too. Violet didn't mind Ethan being in a band, but it's the inconvenience of the time they spend apart that upsets her. But, she had to accept it.

"Where do you want to go, babe?" Ethan asked Violet as she rocked her two and a half year old son to sleep.

"Anywhere. Anywhere is better than here." She said. Ethan smiled. When Violet made the decision to leave home with her family, she could care less where they went, as long as it was away from the pain and misery that Boston held over her.

* * *

It had been a week of sleeping in motel rooms, living off pizza and budgeting for diapers and all for Evan. Ethan had talked to his friends about a house he found online and discussed the finances of pulling everything together to buy it. When they saw pictures of it, they all immediately agreed. Violet knew nothing about the house because Ethan wanted to surprise her.

* * *

In the middle of next week, Ethan's friend and drummer, Mick, parked the motor home in the driveway of their new house. Ethan had Mick and Jamie, the band's guitarist, take the baby's things inside while he blindfolded Violet and lead her through the yard and in through the front door.

When he removed the blindfold, Violet opened her eyes and immediately felt like she was going to be sick. She looked around at the chestnut wood that filled the house. She was back in the Murder House. Ethan smiled at Violet, thinking that her reaction was shock due to the size and placement of the home. She took a few steps forward as she looked around and lifted her hand to rest on the banister. Once her hand made contact with the wood, she fainted.

"Violet!" Ethan shouted in panic. He rushed over to her and shook her a bit. When she didn't move, Jamie ran to the kitchen to soak a rag and wipe it over her face.

* * *

Violet woke up a while later in a queen-sized bed that looked strangely familiar. It was the same iron-framed queen-sized bed she had abandoned when she left the house. She sat up and remembered everything that happened that led to her leaving. Tears began to fill her eyes as she thought back to the few memories from this room: her first conversation with the ghost boy and psychopath of this house, their first time together, and where she told him to go away. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the bedroom door open. She looked up to see Ethan carefully walking in. She smiled when she saw him. He smiled back at her and walked over to the bed, gently settling himself across from her on the mattress. "How are you feeling?" He asked. She nodded her head.

"What happened?" She asked, still slightly confused.

"You tell me. One second you're walking through the house and the next, you're on the floor out cold." Violet's eyes widened. She looked around the room once again.

"Where's Evan?" She asked.

"Sleeping. I asked Mick to watch him while I came up here to check on you." Violet half-smiled. She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

* * *

Ethan and Violet walked down the stairs as quietly as they could so Evan wouldn't wake up. He was always such a handful to put to sleep at night, for a nap, any time. Ethan followed her out to the kitchen as she scrounged the kitchen for food. "How much money do we have?" Ethan shrugged his shoulders. Violet rolled her eyes and picked up her laptop from a table by the front door, went back to the kitchen and opened an internet browser. When she opened her bank account, she wasn't surprised at what she found.

"How much, babe?" Ethan asked as he circled to stand behind her to see.

She sighed. "We have enough for groceries and other major essentials, but we have to budget ourselves." Ethan nodded.

"Well, don't worry," he said as he wrapped his arms around Violet's waist. "We're in L.A. I'm sure it won't be too hard to find a couple of gigs around here." Violet chuckled.

She turned to face him, his arms not leaving her. "I love you." She whispered before she kissed him.

"I love you too." He whispered backed. "How about we take Evan shopping while you get some of our stuff unpacked and get settled." Violet nodded at the idea.

* * *

After the guys left with the baby to get some food Violet started unpacking bags and boxes. She carried Jamie's stuff up to her parent's old bedroom and did the same with Mick and Andrew's things in a couple of the houses many guest rooms. Andrew was the band's bassist.

When she finished with moving everyone else's things, she finally got around to moving some of her stuff to the most obvious room that she would be in. She was surprised by the fact that everything she had left behind was still here: her bed, her dresser, her desk, everything. So this made it easier to put everything away in their places before she trudged back down the stairs. As she opened a box full of band equipment in the living room, she heard a familiar voice say her name. "Violet?" A frail sounding voice came from the doorway. Violet turned in shock to see Moira standing there, bright smile on her face, still looking as old as ever, same red hair, and the same ghostly eye. Moira walked over to Violet with open arms and pulled her into a hug. "What are you doing back here?" She asked in concern.

Violet pulled her hair back. "My boyfriend bought this place without telling me." Moira lifted an eyebrow.

"Why? Does he not know about your time here?" She asked.

"No." Moira nodded. "But I wanted to leave Boston as soon as I could. I told him to take me anywhere; I didn't know anywhere would bring me back here." She said as she gazed around the room.

"Well it's been a quiet three years, but I'm glad to see you." She smiled and hugged Violet again. Violet looked at her in her maid's uniform and couldn't help but wonder.

"Do you plan on being our housekeeper?" Moira smirked at the question.

"Of course, it's my job. And no matter what, I'm always here, Violet." Violet smiled at the woman in front of her. She suddenly felt the need to ask about _him_, but figured it would be safer if she didn't.

A little while later, the guys came barging through the door bearing shopping bags and a crying Evan. Violet raced from the kitchen to take the baby in her arms and began bouncing him to calm him down. "That's it!" Jamie yelled. "No more trips for him. He cried the entire time we were running everything through." Violet rolled her eyes as she walked back to the kitchen, the guys following behind her. When they walked in, she turned to see all of the guys, except Ethan with shocked looks on their faces as they spotted Moira. They must see her as her younger self. It came as no surprise to Violet because they were all young, single and horny.

"Moira, this Jamie, Mick, Andrew and my boyfriend, Ethan. Guys, this is Moira, our new housekeeper." Violet introduced. Moira nodded a hello and turned to Evan. "And this is Evan." He just looked at the woman and stuck his hand out. Moira reached a finger out and tickled his palm, making him laugh.

After a few minutes of mindless staring at the maid, Ethan finally grabbed the attention of his band mates and everyone began putting away the groceries. When they were finished, Violet decided to make spaghetti for dinner, since everyone was complaining about hunger and it was the quickest meal she could make.

After everyone ate, Violet helped Moira load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and took Evan up for a bath. As she tended to the baby, thoughts of her near-death experience came rushing back. She remembered how he saved her from overdosing on sleeping pills. She was immediately pulled from her thoughts when Evan splashed Violet with water. She laughed and looked down at her son, his pale skin reflecting in the fluorescent lights of the bathroom, how his golden curls hung in his face, dark and wet.

When Violet got Evan dressed, she laid him down in his crib and attempted to tuck him in, but he was making it difficult with his laughing and squirming as Violet tried to get him under his blanket. She fought with him for a few minutes before he gave up and his eyes began to droop in defeat. When his eyes closed, she brushed his hair out of his face and said goodnight. She then turned to see a familiar figure standing in the doorway. She stopped in place and found herself unable to move. "Violet." He said with a warm smile on his face.

"Tate."


	2. Memories

"You came back." Tate said as he stepped further into the room towards Violet, who backed up until her back hit the crib. He kept walking until he was inches from her. "You came back to me." He smiled. Violet's breathing began to increase as she realized that she was face-to-face with her former psychopathic lover. Tate looked down at his true love that looked no different from the way she used to. However her hair was half a shade darker, her skin was still pale and creamy, her clothes slimmed down a little, and her eyes were still beautiful.

"Tate…" She said before he pulled her into a hug. His arms wrapping around her shoulders to hold her close. She just stood there in the embrace unsure of what to do. She was trying to fight the urge to hug him back. She knew that if she did, she'd be opening that door. He pulled away and took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. When he found them, they were both brought back to the past of their time together. Playing Scrabble, cards, playing with Beau, everything they did together.

Violet lifted her hands to rest on Tate's wrists and gently pushed them back to his sides. Tate's face dropped with confusion. "What's wrong, Vi?" He asked. She looked down.

"It's just…" she began to speak. He was here with her, after three years away, she was standing opposite him and she wasn't sure how she felt. Angry, scared, in love, it was nothing but a mix of emotions right now and she wasn't sure what to do. Without another word, she walked around Tate and walked to her room, locking it behind her, though she knew it wouldn't do much good considering ghosts could appear anywhere. She leaned back against the door and fell to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest as she began to cry. Violet hadn't felt this overwhelmed since she found out she was pregnant.

* * *

A little while later, Violet had changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed. The sheets smelled the same; it smelled of him. She tried to ignore the scent, but it filled her senses and it was driving her crazy. It only made it harder for her to sleep. Soon the bedroom door opened. She unlocked it before she got into bed. She looked up to see Ethan quietly sliding in, in case she was sleeping. "You don't have to be quiet, I'm up." She said as she sat up. Ethan looked up and smiled in relief.

"Oh good," he said exhaling heavily. "I'm no good at sneaking around. I almost woke the baby up." Violet half-smiled. Ethan dropped his car keys on the desk beside the door.

"Where'd you go? I thought you guys were playing Xbox downstairs." Violet said. The only time Ethan had the car keys is when he's been out driving, not just carrying them around.

"Mick and I went out for a drive to see if any places were holding gigs." He said as he climbed into bed next to her. "None." Violet lay down against his chest and he wrapped his arm around her. "What are you still doing up?" He asked.

Violet sighed. "My energy is still kicking a bit, so it'll take a little longer to relax enough to sleep." She lied. She didn't like lying to people, especially Ethan. But she knew she couldn't tell him she saw her dead ex-boyfriend. She didn't want to sound insane; even though that's one of the many things Ethan loved about her.

"Well, I'm here now. Maybe we could, you know…" he whispered to her as he leaned down and kissed her. She faintly smiled into the kiss, but kissed him back. Ethan crawled on top of her and began ghosting kisses over her neck and leaving small marks on her soft skin that lead down to her shoulder. Violet moaned a little at the feeling it gave her. This continued until they were both naked under the sheets and Violet was begging for Ethan to take her. But before he did, she pulled out a condom and handed it to him. "Aw, come on, Vi." He whined and pouted his lower lip.

"Please?" She asked innocently. She already had one baby too young; she doesn't want another one for a while. Ethan respected her wishes and slipped the condom on and quickly pushed into her. Whenever the couple had sex, it was rough and Violet loved it. But she also missed the gentleness of _his_ touch and how good it could make her feel.

As they went on with their night, Violet never considered that anyone would be watching. But he was watching the whole thing. Tate stood there and watched as that boyfriend of hers defiled her in the one place that was theirs. He just wanted to march over to him and slit his throat, but that would mean having to live with him for an eternity. He didn't know what Violet was doing with this guy, and why they were here, but he was going to try and win her back, regardless if they have a kid together. She was his and she always would be.

* * *

Violet got up the next morning, changed into some clean clothes and went to check on Evan who wasn't in his crib. Violet began to panic and started running throughout the house looking for him. She tried to be quiet, but when you can't find your two and a half year old son anywhere, you begin to freak out. When she got downstairs she heard a giggle coming from the kitchen. She walked in and saw Moira playing with the baby in his high chair. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply in relief. Moira looked up and saw her. "Good morning, Violet." She smiled.

Violet walked in and kissed Evan on his head. "Morning." She saw that Moira had boiled some water in the kettle and made herself some tea. When she sat down at the kitchen island, she dropped her head in her hands.

"Is there something wrong, Violet?" Moira asked in concern. Violet shrugged her shoulders, not sure if seeing Tate was a good thing or a bad thing.

"He found me…last night." Violet admitted. Moira knew about everything and everyone in this house so there was no point in trying to hide anything. Moira stood across the counter from Violet and sighed.

"I knew that he would." Violet looked up at the woman.

"He…He thinks I came back for him." Violet said and Moira nodded.

"That boy has been waiting years to see your face again. As heartless as his actions have portrayed him, he's not completely empty when it comes to you." Violet lifted her eyebrows.

"But I didn't-" Violet started but Moira cut her off.

"If there weren't something there between you two, you would have driven out of here the moment you saw the house." Moira assumed. And her assumptions were proven right when Violet stayed silent.

"Ethan and the guys bought this place and didn't even tell me. Where could we have gone when they just spent almost everything they had?" Violet was so confused about her feelings about him, about the house, Ethan, everything. Nothing seemed to make sense to her anymore.

"Well no matter the reason, Violet, something brought you back here." Moira concluded before leaving to clean the living room. Violet dropped her head in her hands again and began thinking about everything since she left this house. She was soon pulled from her thoughts when she heard Evan laughing. When she looked up she saw Tate playing with him. He was tickling the baby's neck with his fingers and gently poking over his little features. He didn't need to turn around to know that Violet was staring at them.

"He has your eyes." Tate pointed out while still tickling the baby. "What's his name?" Even though he could give to shits about the kid's name, since he belonged to that bastard upstairs. He turned to look at her.

"Evan." She tried to keep her answers short to hopefully get him to go away quicker.

"Cute." He said.

"Thank you." Tate nodded. Violet stood up and walked over the still laughing baby. After a moment of silence, Tate finally spoke.

"Why'd you come back? Clearly you're not happy here." He looked down. Violet moved some hair out of her face before she sighed.

"I didn't want to come back. But everyone decided to buy the house without telling me because Ethan wanted to surprise me." Tate felt sick at the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. He slowly moved towards her so he was inches away from her. He took her hands in his and she looked up at him, trying to fight the urge to hug him, kiss him, anything that involved intimate contact. She knew she had to let him go.

"I missed you. And I want you, Violet." He whispered. His breath still smelled as sweet. Nothing about Tate changed; he was forever young and forever doomed to reside in the Murder House. She felt terrible for him, but she couldn't let that part of her show. Violet looked down and tried to take her hands back, but Tate held them together.

"Tate, I can't do this." Violet's voice cracked as she tried to fight back the tears.

"Why not?" He asked, his voice almost broken. A few tears escaped her eyes. "No, Violet, please don't cry." He went to wipe the tears away, but Violet moved her head away. Tate took his hands back in anger. "Don't act like you don't love me anymore, Violet." He raised his voice. "Don't pretend like there's nothing between us."

"I don't want to pretend, Tate!" She shouted in frustration. "I want to let it all go. I want to let you go." She cried. Tate stood there in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew he should just leave her, but something in him had stopped him. He leaned in and hugged her, but she shoved him away.

"Jesus, Violet, it's been three damn years! I had nothing to do with what all the ghosts did to you and your family and you know that." He shot back. She knew that when the ghosts went on a scare mission, Tate was not involved in it. He managed to save her when the twins almost knocked her down the basement stairs. She was so confused about her feelings. She thought that by living here with her son, her boyfriend and some friends, she could let go of the boy she once loved long ago and everything else within these walls. But the kind of love they had, the feelings couldn't just be swept under the rug, they were there forever.

"I just want to be happy, Tate." Violet whispered through her tears.

Tate ran his fingers through his hair. "I want to be happy too, Vi." He said in a calmer tone. "You have a family now, and I'm stuck here. I'm stuck watching you walk around like shit doesn't bother you. You left me, Violet. You broke _my _heart." Tears began to form and fall down his cheeks. Violet wrapped her arms around herself as the tears kept coming.

"It's not exactly _our _family." Violet said. Tate looked at her through tears with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Tate asked.

"Our family? It's not exactly mine and Ethan's."

"I'm not sure what you mean." He said as he looked Violet in the eyes. She was having trouble getting the words out.

She took a deep breath. "There's something that no one in the world knows except for me." Violet said. She tightened the grip around herself and looked down at her son, who was playing with the hem of Tate's shirt.

"Come on, Violet, you can tell me." She shook her head and this time she didn't fight when Tate pulled her into his arms. He rubbed her back trying to soothe the words she choked back. Their moment was cut short when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. When Violet looked up Tate was gone. She turned her head to see Andrew coming down the stairs.

"What's up?" He said as he opened the fridge and began rummaging through the shelves. Violet quickly wiped away the tears. When Andrew closed the fridge he looked at Violet. Before he could say anything to her, Evan started crying, so Violet grabbed him and took him upstairs.


	3. True Feelings

"Why can't you watch Evan today?" Violet asked Ethan in annoyance. He and the guys were each packing their instruments and loading them into the trailer. Violet had plans to go out shopping for some new clothes and clean the house, but Ethan mentioned last minute that they had a gig that night.

"Babe, we finally found a gig that could make us a bit of money. Why are you so upset?"

Violet rolled her eyes. "Because you always wait until the last minute to tell me that you have something planned. Not to mention that the one night I need you to watch Evan so I can finally get some time to myself, you can't." The guys were finished packing and took everything outside while Ethan pulled Violet into a hug.

"I'm sorry, babe." He whispered into her ear. "If this show gives us a good deal of money, I'll watch Evan for an entire day while you go out and do your thing, and then I'll treat you to dinner." Violet tried to hide the smile. She liked the sound of the idea, but she still hated it when Ethan pulled this type of thing so she would let it go. Before Violet could say anything, the horn went off in the distance. "I have to go. I love you." He ran out the door.

"I love you too!" Violet yelled after him but the door shut before she could say it. She sighed and sat down on the stairs. It was only one o'clock in the afternoon on a beautiful Saturday, and she'd be alone until ten. She trudged up the stairs and got Evan dressed to take him shopping with her. When she finished dressing him, she carried him downstairs and set him on his feet so she could grab the stroller from the living room and put him in. She reached for the door handle before she heard feet scuffing across the wooden floor behind her. She turned to see Tate standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"I'll watch him for you. I babysat my cousin for a whole weekend and it wasn't that hard." He tried to give her a winning smile. She appreciated the gesture, but she didn't trust the house.

"No, Tate." She said looking down. He took a few steps towards her.

"Come on, Violet. What's the worst that could happen?" Violet looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really need me to answer that?" She asked in a tone mixed with seriousness and sarcasm. Tate looked down.

"Point taken. I just want to help, since your boyfriend's gone for a while." Violet sighed. She was beginning to reconsider his offer, but then she moved around to unbuckle Evan and set him on his feet. He had his toy monster truck in his hand and smiling as he flew it around. "What are you doing?" Tate asked.

"We need to have a talk, right now while we're still alone." Tate nodded and motioned Violet into the living room. They sat down on a couch that the last family left behind. The house was pretty much furnished because the ghosts would scare the inhabitants to the brink of insanity, so they just left everything behind.

"So what do we need to talk about?" Tate asked in a nervous tone as he took a seat next to Violet. He stayed close to her but kept a reasonable distance from her.

She took a deep breath. "Look at Evan." She said. In a moment of confusion, Tate slowly took his eyes off of Violet and focused them on the little boy playing with his truck on the coffee table.

He shook his head. "Okay…what about him?" He asked as he looked back at Violet.

"He doesn't look anything like Ethan, does he?" She asked. Tate looked back at Evan and shook his head when he made the comparison in his head. "That's because he doesn't belong to Ethan." Violet let a tear drop down her cheek.

Tate's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand, Vi." Tate said.

She sniffed. "Tate…he's _your_ son. Not Ethan's." Tate's eyes widened in shock. He stayed like that for a moment before he snapped out of it when Evan smacked his truck against the table's surface.

"That's not possible, Violet. How-" She cut him off.

"I don't know!" She snapped through tears. "I thought the same thing when I left. A few weeks after moving back to Boston, I found out I was four months pregnant. I had only been with you two months before that." She sniffed and looked at Evan who was now sitting on the floor playing with his toy.

Tate followed her eyes to the little boy. He had Tate's light blonde hair, his curls and his smile. He looked back at Violet. "I have a son." He said and Violet nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Everything was so crazy when we left. I was still trying to get over you since I knew I would never see you again." Tate's heart sank at the memory. "I was considering an abortion, but he was my only connection to you." She wiped the tears from her eyes, but they kept coming.

"And Ethan thinks he's his?" Violet nodded. "Why?"

"For the same reason I just told you. I had to get over you and I wasn't showing yet, so when I finally met Ethan, we slept together a few times and that's when I mentioned the pregnancy." Tate let out a deep breath at the thought of Ethan taking his role as a father. He got to his feet and began pacing back and forth. "Tate-" he cut her off.

"So because you thought that we would never see each other again, you decided to give _my _child another dad?" He yelled. Violet nodded knowing how bad the whole thing sounded. Tate ran his hand over his face in frustration. "So what now? Does he call Ethan daddy?" Violet looked up at him shocked.

"Surprisingly, no." She admitted. Violet knew that Ethan wasn't her son's father, and she thinks he might know too, which is why he hasn't said anything to Ethan yet. "He calls me mom, but he hasn't said a word to Ethan since he started talking."

Tate sat back down in a bit of relief. "Why? Does he not know how his father is?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, Tate." The way she said his name sounded so weird to her. She looked at him and he looked back as their eyes met. "I'm so sorry, Tate, I didn't want it to be like this." Tate continued to look at Violet. He moved closer to her on the couch and took her face in hands.

"You stole my heart, Violet Harmon," he whispered, his sweet breath filling her nostrils. "Now that I know about my child, I don't want to let either of you go." Violet held her breath for a moment before she let it go. For some reason, telling Tate about his baby had somehow opened the door, and she was now willing to let him back in. They looked into each other's eyes before Tate leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. She soon felt the urge to pull away, but something in her told her to let it continue. He pulled away after another moment. They opened their eyes and looked at each other. "I love you, Violet." Her heart began to race and she wasn't sure how to respond. She had heard him say those words before, but considering her situation with Ethan, she wasn't sure what to do.

"Tate…" He shook his head.

"You don't have to say it back. I already know how you feel. I just want you to know that I never stopped loving you." She fought back more tears but a few escaped. After everything that was thrown between them, Tate still loved her and he still wasn't willing to let her go. "But…what do we do about Evan?" He asked. They both looked down at him. He looked up and smiled back.

"I don't know. I mean, I still love Ethan." Tate pulled back and looked at her with hurt in his eyes. "But I can't deny him the truth either." Her eyes never left Evan on the floor. He soon pointed up to Tate.

"Dad…dy." He carefully pronounced. Tate's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as Violet covered her face with her hands and cried harder. "Daddy!" Evan said again throwing his hands up in the air.

Tate slowly stood up from the couch and moved to sit in front of Evan on the floor. "Yeah buddy, I'm your daddy." He said. Evan held out his toy truck to Tate who took it and started playing with his son. Violet didn't even look up; she let her head fall onto her knees as she cried. She was in shock that her two year old baby boy, who had been living with the lie that Ethan was his dad, had called Tate 'daddy'.

Violet lifted her head to wipe away the tears and saw Evan playing with Tate, flying his truck like an airplane. She laughed at the sight, but was still sad that Ethan now had to know the truth. Tate looked up at Violet from the floor and stood up to stand in front of her. He took her small hands in his big ones and helped her to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wrapped hers around his neck to hold him close to her. "I'm so sorry, Tate." She sobbed into his shoulder.

He pulled away to wipe away her tears. "Please stop crying, Violet, your sadness is masking your beauty." She blushed through her tears and wiped the rest away with her sleeve.

"I don't know what I'm going to do about Ethan" She said in a concerned tone.

"Let's just get through today first." Tate whispered back and Violet nodded in agreement. She looked up to meet Tate's eyes. Only this time when they gazed at one another, she was the one to lean up and press her lips to his. He cupped her cheek with his hand and deepened the kiss. The passion and intensity in the kiss was what Violet had missed and something she couldn't share with Ethan. It had been so long since she felt something real for once, aside from what she felt with Ethan.

"I love you, Tate." Tate made a sound in the back of his throat as his thumb brushed her cheek. "I don't think that's ever going to go away." She admitted. She knew the truth deep down; she just needed to hear herself say it out loud. Tate smiled warmly at her and kissed her again.

"I never stopped loving you, Violet." He whispered against her lips. When they pulled away from each other, she hugged him tighter against her. They were pulled out of the moment when Evan squealed in excitement, making both of his parents laugh.


	4. Revelation

It's been two weeks since Violet had seen Tate because Ethan has been trying so hard to manage his time with her and Evan, as well as practice for his band's next show. Violet has been pretty distant towards Ethan since her last encounter with Tate. Ethan was beginning to get annoyed with the way Violet has been treating him lately, so he decides to take her upstairs and talk to her about everything.

"So what's going on, Vi?" He asked as he set himself on the bed. Violet just stood at the foot of the bed with her arms folded across her chest.

She took a deep breath. "I don't know, there's just been so much going on lately, I'm sorry if I haven't been a very good girl-" He cut her off.

"Violet, you're so irritable lately, you barely let me touch you, and you keep your distance from me as much as you can. If I've done something wrong, please tell me." Violet shook her head and looked down.

"It's nothing you've done. You haven't done anything wrong. It's more or less what _I've_ done." She said. She knew her confession may end things with Ethan and she may lose everything she has if they do end, but the truth had to be known. "Ethan I've been lying to you for the last two years."

He raised his eyebrows in shock. "What?"

She took another deep breath. "I've been lying to you about Evan." She felt tears threaten in her eyes. Ethan stood up from the bed and walked to stand in front of Violet. Neither of them was aware that Tate was watching the whole thing go down. He felt so bad for Violet because of what this may do to her, Ethan could suck him for all he cared.

"Go on, Violet." He said as he rubbed her arms to comfort her.

"Evan…Evan isn't your son." She said as she finally got the courage to look into her boyfriend's eyes. And when she did, all she saw was hurt, confusion and shock. "Ethan?"

He dropped his hands to his sides. "What do you mean Evan isn't mine?" He asked in a bit of an angered tone.

"Before I met you," she sniffed. "I was already pregnant with my ex-boyfriend. We had a really bad break up and I thought that if we had sex and I convinced you that the baby was yours, I could forget about him." Tate sat there and stared at Ethan, waiting for his response.

Ethan circled around Violet until he was standing behind her. She slowly turned around to face him, tears coming down. "S-So, you used me to get over your ex?" He asked. Violet nodded. Ethan ran his hands over his face trying to keep himself composed. Tate could see the hurt and anger rising in him and was ready to strike if he laid a hand on Violet.

"I never wanted you to know about this, Ethan. I just wanted to be happy after I moved back to Boston." He looked up to meet her eyes.

"What do you mean _after_ moving back?" Violet looked down and then back up.

"I was living here when it happened. I swear, I never meant for any of this to happen, but when I found out you bought this place I couldn't say anything." He shook his head in confusion as he ran his fingers through his shoulder length blonde hair. "Please don't be angry with me." Violet sniffed.

Ethan looked at her, anger flooding his eyes. "Why not?" He was yelling now. "I've been nothing but good to you for two years, Violet, and you waited almost three to tell me that Evan isn't my kid?" Violet started to sob. "So I fell for you thinking that you were the mother of my baby, only to find out _now _that it was all a lie?" Violet looked down in shame as Ethan brought back everything she'd done.

"I didn't want to hurt you!" She shouted back. "Yes, you have always been good to me, but I didn't lie to you to hurt you, I did it to protect you!"

"What do I need protecting from, Violet?" Tate, invisible, got to his feet and was now intrigued by Violet's reasoning.

"I had a troubled past here, Ethan. And it's because of my past that my family fled back to Boston." Ethan and Tate just stared at her. "You asked me where I wanted to go and I said anywhere, but I had no idea that anywhere would bring me back here." She sniffed and tried to wipe her face dry, but tears continued to spill over. Tate's eyes began to tear up as well.

"Violet, I-" Ethan started but Violet wasn't finished.

"It's like this house has a hold on me, Ethan. But after being here for a while, I'm okay with that because the haunting memories of this house no longer exist to me. Only one does, and nothing's going to replace it." She leaned back against the footboard of the bed and steadied herself to catch her breath.

Ethan looked around the room in silence. He wasn't sure what else there was to say about the situation. He looked down at his shoes and then at his watch. "Well, um, we have a gig tonight." Violet looked up, looking at him like he must have been crazy.

"Are you serious?" She asked through a broken voice. "After everything we just talked about, you-" He cut her off.

"I need some space right now, Vi. I have to go." He walked over and hugged her before he headed downstairs. The van was out of the driveway a few minutes later. Before Tate could appear, Violet walked down the hall in silence to check on Evan. She looked over the side of the crib and found him sleeping peacefully on his stomach and sucking his thumb. She walked back to her room and shut the door and walked over to lie down on her bed.

"I'm sorry." She heard a voice from beside her. She turned her head to see Tate lying down on his side facing her. He looked sad.

"For what?' She asked.

"If I had known that I was capable of getting a living person pregnant, I wouldn't have been with you that way, or least I wouldn't have been unprotected." Violet sighed as she looked at Tate. She rolled over onto her other side and brushed her hand over his cheek. He half-smiled at her.

"Neither of us knew, Tate. And I'm not sorry for what happened because you gave me the best thing in the world." He looked at her in confusion. "You gave me Evan. Even if I never came back here, he was my only connection to you. He reminds me so much of you, Tate, and I love it." He smiled for real this time. He took her hand from his face and held it to his chest.

"I love you, Violet. I just want you to know that." She nodded.

"I know you do. And we both know I didn't leave because I didn't love you. Imagine if we had stayed here during the pregnancy…I couldn't have that." She admitted. Tears began to well up in Tate's eyes and he nodded in agreement with her.

Tate glanced down at her lips and then back up to her eyes. She smiled and slowly leaned over to brush her lips against his. He took his hand from hers and wrapped it around the back of her neck to pull her closer. Violet quickly gathered the courage to climb on top of Tate so she was straddling him. He reached up to grip her hips as she faintly ground into his, making him moan. They looked into each other's eyes until Violet reached down to the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Tate's eyes widened as he caught on to what Violet was after. He gripped her hips tight enough to stop her but didn't move out from underneath her.

"What's wrong?" Violet asked in confusion.

Tate sighed. "Violet, as much as I want to, you just got into a fight with your boyfriend and now you're trying to sleep with me." Violet's eyes closed into slits. "I don't want to feel second best because you're upset." Violet didn't say anything as she climbed back to the space on the bed next to Tate.

"I-I'm sorry, Tate." She whispered in a broken voice. "I still love you," she admitted aloud and made him whimper at the confession. "And it's because I love you that I haven't left yet and I want to be with you again." Violet's eyes began to tear up as she confessed everything to Tate. Of course she still felt guilty about what she had done to Ethan, but she couldn't suppress the feelings and memories anymore. She swept everything under the rug years ago, but she knew she couldn't hide them forever.

"And you're not saying this because you're upset?" Tate asked with caution in his voice. Violet shook her head not meeting his eyes. Tate reached his hand out and entwined his fingers with Violet's. She slowly looked up to meet his eyes. "I love you, Violet." She smiled at his words and leaned down to brush her lips against his.

"I want to, Tate," she whispered against his lips. "I want to feel connected to you again." And with that, Tate pushed Violet down so she was lying on her back and he was on top of her, possessively kissing her. She reached down to the hem of his shirt and began lifting it over his skin; he assisted her and threw it somewhere on the floor. He sunk back down to brush his lips against the soft skin of her neck and collarbone as he began working on removing her leggings and underwear at once. Violet reached down between their bodies and began working on removing Tate's jeans. When she got his belt unbuckled and his pants unbuttoned, she forced them down to his knees, along with his boxers. Tate quickly shimmied the materials down the rest of his legs and hovered over Violet, his eyes meeting hers.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this, Violet." She smiled up at him and brushed the back of her hand over his cheek. The warmth of her skin against his felt so unreal to him. If this was the houses way of torturing him in his mind, he'd live with it for eternity. He slowly pushed into her, connecting with his true love once again. Violet moaned at the contact and he started a rhythm with his hips. Tate started off at a slow pace so she could get used to his size again.

"Mm, Tate, please don't go easy." She moaned as she pulled his lips down to hers.

"I don't want to hurt you." He whispered in between kisses. She deepened the kiss took his lower lip between her teeth and gently biting down to hint her want. "Violet…"

"Please, Tate." She whimpered. He sighed into the kiss and picked up the pace. Their sudden connection had become fast and hard and neither of them could explain how good it felt. Ethan was good in bed, Violet couldn't deny that, but being with Tate had a different setting in her mind and everything felt right when she was with him. As Tate continued to thrust roughly into Violet, they could both feel their releases forming.

"God, Violet…" Tate growled as he leaned his forehead against hers. Three years had been way too long for him, and now that he had his light back in his dark world, his eternity was worth all the pain and waiting. When they both reached their releases, Tate collapsed back onto the bed beside Violet and immediately pulled her into his arms, resting her head on his chest. She listened to his heart beat in his chest and she relaxed fairly quickly.

They both lie in silence for a few moments before Violet felt Tate shift underneath her. She looked up to meet his eyes and found them, along with a smile. She rested her chin on his chest as she stared up at him. "Thank you." She mouthed.

"For what?" Tate asked in confusion. Violet sat up and rested her back against the headboard, looking down on him. He hoisted himself up onto his elbow without letting go of her eyes.

"For bringing me back here." He was very confused now. He wasn't sure what she meant by him bringing her back there. "Tate…I never stopped loving you, even since I've been with Ethan. I always wondered if you had moved on, hoping you didn't, and to somehow end up back here is a miracle." Tate smiled. "I'm not much of a believer in fate, but something in this house brought me back to you, and now that I'm here…I don't want to leave anymore." Tate guided her back down to him and wrapped a secure arm around her waist, pulling her close. He pressed his lips to hers and she felt tears coming down his cheeks. She pulled away and looked up at his face.

"Three years has been way too long for me, Violet." He choked out through his tears. "Please don't ever leave me again."

Violet shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere ever again, Tate. You're the reason I'm still here. If that weren't true I would have left the second I walked through the front door." Tate let more tears escape his eyes as he began to silently sob. He pulled her closer and buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"I love you so much, Violet, it hurts." Violet reached around and rubbed his back to calm him down. Tate was still in a state of denial that Violet had come back to him, but it wasn't enough to overpower his grasp on reality.


	5. Worth the Pain

Tate and Violet fell asleep after a long night of smiles and tears. They were wrapped up in each other; neither of them had felt safer. Sometime in the evening Violet woke up to hear Evan crying from down the hall. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and gently unwrapped herself from Tate's arms and got dressed. She made her way down the hall and found Evan standing in his crib and reaching out for his mom. She picked him and bounced him in her arms. "Shh, baby boy, momma's here." She whispered as she continued to bounce him, slowly calming him down. When he finally stopped crying, she looked at him and found him smiling. "That's right, who's momma's big guy?" She asked in a cute voice. Evan pointed behind her and she turned to see Tate standing in the doorway of his son's room, wearing everything but a shirt, smiling at the scene in front of him.

"Well, I was hoping it was me, but I guess I come in a close second to this handsome devil." He smirked as he approached Violet and Evan and kissed his forehead. Evan reached out over Violet's shoulder and held his hands out to his dad. Violet looked at Tate with a smile, but he only returned a look of horror and confusion. "Umm…" he gulped.

"He wants his daddy." She said, still smiling.

He gulped again. "I, um…I've never held a baby before, Vi." He admitted. Violet smirked at him and chuckled. "What?"

"Well for one, he's not a baby, he's a toddler." Tate rolled his eyes at her correction. "And second, it's easy." He shook his head.

"It's easy for you because you've carried him around for almost three years, so you've had practice." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down in slight embarrassment. It was Violet's turn to roll her eyes.

"Tate, he's your son. I'm sure he won't mind your lack of experience with cradling little kids." Tate looked up to meet her sarcastic look. He nodded and brought his hands out from his pockets and reached out for Evan. Violet slowly leaned Evan into his dad's arms and Tate gently wrapped one arm around the little boy's back and the other underneath his bottom. The two boys looked at each other. Tate couldn't help but smile when the little boy laughed at his dad for no reason. Violet just stood there and watched the interaction between the two boys, finally seeing what she had been hoping to since Evan was born. Evan soon turned his head and rested his head on Tate's shoulder.

"Ask him if he's hungry." She whispered to Tate. Since it was known that Evan was Tate's, Violet wanted him to interact with his son from now on. It made Tate nervous, because it was a responsibility he had never considered, but it made Violet happy, so he was willing to accept it.

"Are you hungry, bud?" Tate asked Evan. The little boy just nodded his head without moving his head from his dad's shoulder. Violet smiled at Tate and he returned it.

* * *

Violet had made a bowl of oatmeal for Evan and cooked hot dogs for her and Tate. She knew Tate didn't need to eat because he was dead, but it made her feel normal. Not to mention she hated eating in front of other people. As Evan distracted himself by playing with his food, Tate walked up behind Violet as she cleaned off the countertop of the island. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, making her giggle. He leaned down and began kissing her neck, making her giggle again. "Tate, not in front of Evan." He stopped and looked at the toddler in his high chair.

"He's not paying attention to us." He whispered in her ear. She rested her hands over Tate's and leaned her head back into his shoulder. He held her tighter to him and breathed in her scent of country apple body lotion. "The way you smell is so tempting, Vi." She shivered at his words and smirked.

"Maybe when Evan goes to bed." She whispered back.

* * *

When everyone finished eating, Violet took Evan upstairs to change his diaper and his clothes and then brought him back downstairs to play in the living room for a bit. It was only after eight o'clock, but the sun was gone from the sky. When she set Evan down on his feet, Violet followed her son into the living room where he crashed to the floor with his toy trucks and she collapsed on the couch next to Tate, exhaling deeply. "Tired?" Tate asked as he wrapped his arm over Violet's shoulders.

She pulled her knees up to her chest. "Not really. But he does not make it easy to change him." Tate smirked and looked down to the boy on the floor. "Get that look off your face. Next time, you can do it." She threatened making Tate's look drop and he looked at Violet in a small amount of fear. He knew she was serious.

A little while later, Evan started getting cranky so Violet decided to put him to bed. It was half past ten and the guys still weren't home. She was starting to get annoyed. When she finally got Evan down she slowly made her way down the hallway and into her room, shutting the door behind her and crashing on to the bed. She had been lying down for a while when she felt an arm slink around her waist. Her eyes were closed so she couldn't see who the arm belonged to; she hoped it was Tate. The hand that was connected to the arm wrapped around her began to caress the skin on her stomach as it lifted up her top. "Mm, not tonight." She mumbled in a sleepy voice. When the hand didn't stop she turned to her head and slowly opened her eyes. She jumped when she saw that it wasn't Tate, but Ethan. She turned to look at her alarm clock and sighed. "You're late." She said with annoyance in her voice.

"Aw come on, don't be like that, baby." He said with a smirk. Her face scrunched in disgust as she could smell a heavy scent of liquor coming off him. He continued to rub her arm with his hand, sending shivers down her spine.

"You're drunk," she said as she lied down to face away from him. "Go to sleep."

"Babe, come on. Let's fool around a little bit." He whispered into her ear. The smell of alcohol coming off his breath was enough to make her want to throw up. She covered her face with her hand as she nudged him away with her shoulder.

"Ethan, you stink of alcohol, go shower or something. Just stop breathing on me." She said getting more annoyed. Ethan was starting to get sick of her rejection, so decided to flip her on her back and rest himself between her legs. "Ethan, what the-" He put a finger to her lips.

"Evan's not mine." He whispered to her. She shook her head in confusion.

"Yes, I already told you that." She said.

He sighed. "Then give me a baby of my own." He said and her eyes went wide in shock. She tried to scramble out from underneath him but his weight was too heavy for her tiny body to move, especially since he was majorly intoxicated.

"Are you kidding me?" She snapped. "I already have a three year old who I'm still struggling to take care of, Ethan."

"I know, but I…" he hiccupped. "I want us to have a baby of our own, Vi." She shook her head as she tried pushing his weight off of her. "You deceived me all this time, Violet, and I'm hurt." His voice became more serious.

"So your plan is to sleep with me, get me pregnant, and we'll all live as a happy family?" She snapped again. He didn't like the tone she was using. The look on his face turned hard and it was beginning to concern Violet. He quickly leaned down; his face only centimeters from hers as he spoke, still reeking of alcohol.

"Look, I want a family of my own." He hiccupped again. She looked away so she wouldn't have to smell his breath anymore, but his hand gripped her jaw and forced her to look at him. "I will always consider Evan my own, because that daddy of his hasn't been around since he was born." He said. She knew why Tate hadn't been around to help with Evan. If he wasn't dead, he'd be all over the responsibility of helping Violet with their baby, if it made her happy. He might have even followed her back to Boston.

Violet struggled against Ethan's grip on her jaw. "Let me go." She whimpered in pain as his fingers tightened. Ethan shook his head and swooped down to capture her lips with his. She tried to fight him off but he was too strong. Ethan let go of her face and moved his hand down to push her shorts down her legs without parting their lips. Violet's eyes began to tear up as she tried to fight to keep her clothes on. Ethan growled and held her hands up above her head in one hand as the other worked to unbuckle his jeans. He slid them down his legs and parted Violet's legs again since she managed to close them after he got her bottoms off. "Ethan, please…" Violet begged when she managed to get her lips free of his. He shook his head as he kissed the soft skin on her neck.

"It's my turn, Vi." Was all he said before he roughly pushed into her, making her whimper. As much as she loved Ethan, she couldn't let this happen. He began thrusting in and out of her quickly as tears filled her eyes. "Jesus, Violet…" Was all he could get out. At this point, sex was more exciting for Ethan than it was for Violet, who continued to try and fight him off. "We're going to happy." He whispered, lips still connecting with her skin.

"Ethan, stop. Please." She continued to beg through tears. Ethan had pretended like he hadn't heard her and continued to thrust. Violet knew he was close to his release and she fought even harder. Suddenly she felt his weight being lifted off her. She looked to follow where he had gone. He had been pulled off the foot of the bed, straddled on the floor by Tate with his hand around his throat. Violet pulled her shorts back up and rushed to the floor. "Tate, stop it!" She yelled to get his attention. He didn't hear her because of his boiling anger.

"Touch her again and I will kill you." He growled in such a way that scared Violet. She had never seen this side of Tate before and it terrified her. She looked down at Ethan who had his hands wrapped around Tate's wrist, trying to get him off.

"Enough, Tate!" She continued to yell and he continued not to listen. Violet had finally gathered up enough courage to lunge at Tate to knock him off balance, but failed when Tate grabbed her by the arm and threw her across the room. She flew into the wall beside her closet and couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Violet…" Tate said, finally letting go of his angry side. He slowly moved his hand off of the other boy's throat and moved towards Violet who quickly got to her feet and ran from the room. "Violet!" He yelled after her. Violet continued running until she reached Evan's room. He was sound asleep in his crib. She gently picked him up so her panic and fear wouldn't rub off so much to make him cry. He relaxed against his mom's shoulders as she hurried down the hall and down the stairs.

Violet made it to the front door before she felt Evan being tugged from her arms. She instantly turned around and found Tate holding his son in his arms, cradling him to keep him still. She leaned back up against the front door as Tate slowly walked to the living room and rested the sleeping toddler on the couch. When he had his back to her, Violet made a run for the kitchen. Before she reached the back door, Tate was already standing there with tears in his eyes. She let a few of her own tears escape as she was consumed with nothing but fear of the boy standing in front of her. "Leave me alone." She said through a choked sob.

"Violet, please, I didn't mean to hurt you." Tate said as he moved towards her. She walked backwards away from him until she was backed up into a wall. "Violet…I'm so sorry; I never meant to channel that side of me on you." He said when he was inches away from her, enough to feel her breath.

"What was that, Tate?" She snapped at him, making him jump. He closed his eyes for a second to hold off more threatening tears.

"He was hurting you, Violet. I couldn't let him hurt you." He said.

"So your plan was to kill him? Tate he's boozed off his ass, he didn't know what he was doing." She didn't entirely believe that herself, but it as long as it held Tate off.

"Violet, I made a promise to you that I would never let anyone or anything hurt you. I'm keeping that promise." He reminded her. She looked away from him and he raised his hands so they were resting on the wall on either side of her head. "It was stupid of me to let myself go that far, but I couldn't stand to see tears fall from your eyes." He rubbed hers away with his thumb. She couldn't fight the urge to lean her face into his palm.

"Tate…" she whispered.

"I love you, Violet. I hurt you and I don't expect you to forgive me, but please, _please_ don't leave me again." He choked through more tears. She looked into his eyes and all she saw was hurt and regret. She knew that her hurt her, but he had also saved her after Ethan had raped her out of drunken stupidity, so she couldn't find the need to be mad at Tate anymore.

"I love you too, Tate." He whimpered in the back of his throat. She sighed. "What are we going to do about Ethan?" She asked out of concern for Evan, who was still sound asleep in the other room. Tate took her face in his hands.

"I'll take care of him." He assured her. Her eyes grew wide.

"No…no." She said in a panic. Tate took his hands back. Violet knew that Tate's plan was to either hurt him until he begged for death, or just kill him.

"Violet…" She cut him short.

"No, Tate!" She snapped. "He hurt me, yes, but he does not deserve to die for it. No one deserves over foolish things. He was drunk and he was stupid. Let me handle him." Tate sighed heavily and looked down. He knew Violet was a strong girl and that's what drew him to her in the first place. She could take care of herself and he knew it, he just wish he could help her. He was allowed to, but only when she asked for his help. He looked up to meet her eyes, which were tired and loving as she glanced into his.

He placed a hand on her cheek. "I love you." He whispered.

She smiled and leaned up to crush her lips with her own. "I love you too."


	6. Unforgivable

Tate and Violet decided to sleep together in Evan's room to keep a closer eye on him. Violet borrowed a few sleeping bags that she had washed for Mick from his room and laid them out on the floor beside their son's crib. After Tate had left Ethan lying on the floor gasping for air after trying to choke him, he passed out, so they were okay with leaving him there.

"Violet?" A voice called through the hallway. Her eyes popped open in panic and jumped to her feet. She looked down to see that Tate had already disappeared. "Violet?" The voice called again. She stood in silence as footsteps got closer to Evan's bedroom door. When they were just on the other side of the door, the door slowly flew open and there stood Ethan, rubbing his throat. It must still be sore after Tate nearly crushed it. Violet just stood there in front of the toddler's bed and stared at the familiar face that attacked her the night before. "There you are." He said as he walked in.

"Stay away from me." She warned in a harsh tone.

Ethan stopped a few feet away. "What's wrong, Vi?" He asked in confusion, clearly still waking up. He continued to rub his neck and tears began to fall from Violet's eyes. "Vi, are you okay?" He started walking towards her again.

"I said stay away from me!" She snapped. She turned her eyes to the sleeping boy behind her, but he only stirred enough to move from one side to his stomach. She turned to look back at Ethan who was now inches away from her. Her breathing picked up and she wasn't sure what to do or how to handle the now sober Ethan in front of her. She knew Tate was watching, but she tried to keep herself composed as to not to start another fight where Tate might actually kill Ethan this time.

"Viol-" He coughed and pain radiated through his neck muscles. "Jesus, what the hell happened last night?" He asked through another painful cough.

"You tell me." She shot back in an angry whisper.

"All I remember is finishing up the show with the guys last night. We ran into a couple of girls who bought us drinks. Nothing happened, I swear." He continued to massage his neck. "God, why is my neck so sore?"

"Because you raped me last night." She growled. His eyes shot up to meet hers and he stopped rubbing. He stared at her in horror and confusion. They both knew that Ethan was always against violence on a loved one, especially against women. But Violet was willing to reconsider that fact after the events of last night.

"What are you talking about, Vi?" He asked in a concerned tone.

Tears continued to spill from her eyes. "You came in wasted last night," she choked through a distant sob. "Woke me up, ripped my clothes off and raped me." He stared at her in horror, not believing what he was hearing. He figured she must have been dreaming and it was now affecting her sense of reality.

"Violet…I would never-" She continued as if she hadn't heard him try to speak.

"All because you wanted a baby of your own." She said through gritted teeth. Ethan backed up a foot or two, still trying to process her story. He knew himself that he could never lay a hand on a woman, especially that woman being Violet. He loved Violet to death, and he supposedly tried to rape her? He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it.

"I don't believe you." He said and began rubbing his muscles again.

"Well, I guess I can't really blame you, considering how boozed up you were last night." She spat at him. "You left here mad after I told you that Evan didn't belong to you. Are you aware that alcohol brings out your true feelings, Evan?" She asked in a mixed tone of sarcasm and hurt. "You truly wanted to have a baby of your own, with me, and you tried forcing one into me." Ethan shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. He started pacing the room and Violet just watched him.

"Violet, I have _never_ laid a hand on you before. And I have never tried to hurt you before and since we've been together. Yes, I was mad when you told me that Evan wasn't my son, but have I not been there for you two since I found out you were pregnant at all?" He asked. Violet just stood there in silence, aware that he had done his best to provide and care for her and her son over the last few years. There was no denying that Ethan had been a father figure to Evan this whole time, but deep down, Evan knew who his real dad was.

"I'm not disregarding the fact that you have been such a great father to Evan. But even before I told you the truth, he knew who his dad was." She choked through tears.

Ethan stopped pacing. "What?"

"That little boy knew this whole time that you were not his daddy." She choked out again. Her tears came down heavier as she confessed everything.

"Who is his daddy?" He asked in an angry whisper.

Violet wiped her cheeks dry and fought off more tears. "Don't worry about it."

"Who is his daddy, Violet?" He yelled at her. Evan soon started crying from being woken up. Violet turned to pick the little boy up and rocked him in her arms. Soon, Moira came rushing in.

"Ma'am, is everything alright?" She asked with fake shock on her face. Violet knew that Moira knew what was going on, but she played along.

She nodded. "Moira, could you please take Evan downstairs and get him something to eat?" Violet tried to hide the angry tone in her voice, but she couldn't hide anything from Moira. The maid walked across the room and took the crying boy into her arms and took him down to the kitchen. Violet looked back at Ethan.

"I'm not going to ask you again, Vi." He let the anger out a little.

She scoffed. "Why does it matter who his dad is, Ethan? You don't know him, you will never know him."

"And why not?"

"Because you don't need to know him! Jesus, Ethan, where is this coming from?" She asked, letting her annoyance show.

"Because his _daddy_," he punctuated the word with air quotes. "Hasn't been around since you got pregnant, Vi. And he hasn't put forward any effort to know his own flesh and blood." Violet was fighting herself very hard not to just explode and tell Ethan why Tate hadn't been around.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Ethan, his dad lives here in Los Angeles while my family moved us back across the country. He couldn't drive at the time and he couldn't afford to go anywhere. Not to mention his mom was more than thrilled to have me out of his life." Everything Violet had said was true. She based it all off of what Tate had told her about when he was alive, but she added her own story in, leaving out the fact that he was dead.

"And he couldn't even pick up the damn phone?" He raised his voice. Violet looked down and took a deep breath.

"Like I said, his mom was delighted to have me out of his life." She said.

"I'm having a really hard time believing you right now, Vi." He whispered as he began pacing the room again. "After you spent the last three years lying to me about _your_ son, I'm not sure you're telling me the truth." Violet's eyes widened at his words. Sure, she lied about Evan being Ethan's but the truth finally came out and she was willing to accept the pain of hurting the one person she loved in the house besides the one her son really did belong to.

"You're having a hard time believing me?" She snapped, anger flaring in her eyes. Ethan stopped pacing in front of Violet and turned to meet her eyes, surprised by the sudden change in her appearance. "I'm having a hard time believing you!" She yelled. "You had me believe that you were against all violence! After last night, I'm not sure I feel safe around you anymore!" She stopped and tried to steady her breathing.

"Then leave!" He shouted back making her jump.

"And go where, hm?" She asked, more fear in her voice because she didn't want to leave Tate, despite him hurting her the other night, but she was willing to overlook that because her love for him was a much greater feeling than her fear. "I have a child to look after, Ethan." He shook his head.

"Then he can stay here until you get yourself settled somewhere." Her eyes widened.

"Are you serious?" Ethan nodded. "Do you know how long that could take me?" She felt tears threatening in her eyes again. Ethan looked down and scuffed his heels against the floor.

"Fine. You can sleep in the camper." He said in a composed voice. Violet didn't like the idea because of how dirty and smelly the whole thing was because the guys couldn't clean up after themselves, but as long as she was closer to Tate, she was okay.

"Fine, but Evan stays in the house."

"Fine." Was all Ethan said before he turned and walked out of the room. She dropped her face in her hands and soon heard footsteps approaching the room. Ethan popped his head through the doorway. "By the way, who's Tate?" Evan asked. Violet's breath hitched.

She unknowingly shook her head. "I don't know." And with that, Ethan walked away.

* * *

Violet had spent the entire day throwing out garbage, cleaning the rug throughout the vehicle and spraying the mattresses and cushions with Febreze so they didn't reek of the guys and their poor hygiene. After she cleaned out the whole camper, she brought out some fresh sheets and blankets and set up her own bed in the back. She collapsed on one of the couches and closed her eyes for a bit before a knock came at the door. She took her time getting up and walking to the door. When she opened it, she couldn't help but allow a smile to escape her lips. Tate stood outside the door, hands stuffed in his pockets and smiling at Violet. "Come in." She moved out of the way to let the boy in. When she shut the door, she found Tate looking around the place with a look of disappointment. He turned to face her, faces inches apart.

"You shouldn't be the one out here." He muttered. "He should be the one sleeping outside like the dog he is." Violet sighed.

"I know, but as long as Evan is safe inside with you, I could give two shits about where I sleep. But it was nice of Ethan to give me the camper." She half smiled, hoping to make Tate feel a little better about her current situation. "And besides, it's like my own little house."

"Even though it still smells of those assholes inside. Which reminds me, why didn't they come to your defense?" He asked in annoyance.

"They've all been friends since before Ethan and I met, so to them it's like bros before hoes." She said shrugging her shoulders. Tate wrapped his arms around Violet's waist and pulled her flush against him. She smiled at the contact between them. When she was in his Tate's arms, she felt safe and secure. He was her sure salvation.

"You're not a hoe, Violet." He whispered to her in a reassuring voice. She shrugged her shoulders again.

"I have a hard time believing that after all the bullshit I just went through." She looked down and rested her forehead against Tate's chest. He slipped a finger under her chin and pulled her face up to meet his. He slowly leaned down and captured her lips with his.

"You did nothing wrong, Violet." He said when he pulled away, rubbing his thumb along her cheekbone. "You were protecting the ones you loved. If he can't accept that, is he really worth it?" Violet sighed and looked out the windshield towards the house.

"After everything that's happened…I guess not." She said.


	7. No More Games

Tate and Violet had cuddled up together underneath the blanket on her bed in the back of the camper that night. Tate had Violet wrapped up tight in his arms while she rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart beat. They had been like this for a while and neither of them could get sick of lying down together in silence. Just knowing that the other was there was enough security for the other. "What are you thinking about?" Tate asked.

"Mm, I'm listening to your heart." Violet said. Tate could hear the smile in her response. He gently rubbed her back and she pulled herself closer to him. "Mm…" Violet whimpered into Tate's muscular chest.

"Tell me what you want, Vi." He said.

She looked up into his beautiful face. "I want you. I need you. Right now." She said to him. Tate looked down and could see the begging in her eyes. "Please, Tate." And with that, Tate possessively crashed his lips against hers. Violet moaned into the kiss as she felt Tate rubbing his hands over her body. Tate grabbed the hem of Violet's shirt and pulled it over her head. He ran both hands up and down her sides.

"God Violet, you're skin is so soft." He whispered in a seductive tone that made her shiver. She reached down in between them and began unbuckling Tate's belt as he worked to get his shirt off. When the belt came undone, she moved on to his jeans which she managed to unbutton in a second. Tate moved down, dipped his fingers in the waistband of her shorts and pulled them down her legs. After, he kicked his jeans off of his legs and hovered over Violet. He gave her a once over and she smiled at the look on his face. "You're so beautiful." He said before leaning down to kiss her. As he moved his kisses down to her neck, he sunk his teeth into her skin, not hard enough to break the skin but to leave a mark. Violet moaned and gripped Tate's sides and holding on tight. As he continued to work on her neck, he reached around and unclasped her bra and quickly moved down to suck on her nipple.

"Oh, Tate…" she moaned at his actions. Tate always knew how to make Violet feel good. He knew all of her soft spots and her sweet spots. Violet lifted her feet up to Tate's hips and pushed his boxers down his legs. Tate groaned against Violet's breast as he felt the cool air hit the flesh of his arousal. "Tate…" Violet moaned. "Please…no more teasing." She begged.

He smirked up at her as he released her breast. "You have no patience, do you?" He teased.

"Not when I'm aching for you." She whimpered. Tate raised an eyebrow as he guided her panties down her soft, slender legs. When he threw them to the floor, he positioned himself over Violet and moved to push into her, but was stopped when his tip met her entrance. He looked up at her with confusion.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

She smiled. "Nothing. Just…just don't go easy." She said. He was more than happy to be rough with her. As frail as Violet looked, she was strong enough to get rough with. Tate slammed into her right then, making her moan loudly at the connection. He didn't start off slow like he normally did; he thrust in and out of her like he would never have this chance again. "Oh, Tate! God, don't stop!" She continued to moan. He wrapped an arm around Violet and pulled her up and flipped her over suddenly, so she was positioned on her hands and knees. "Tate?" She asked in confusion.

He leaned down to her ear. "You wanted to be rough, my love." Was all he said before slamming back into her. Violet screamed at the intensity of the contact with Tate. They had never done this before, but she loved it. Tate thrust into her deep enough so the base of his arousal hit against her ass.

"Harder!" She yelled in pleasure. Tate held a tight grip on her hip with one hand as his other moved up to grip her shoulder as he pounded into her. The feelings that passed through them had never been experienced with others before and they wanted it to stay that way. Neither of them felt that being with anyone else could compare to being with each other.

"I'm getting close, Vi." Tate growled as he continued to pound into Violet. She couldn't stop her moans, and she let one out to indicate that she had already hit her release. Tate thrust a few more times before he released inside of her. Violet dropped onto her side and Tate dropped down next to her. They laid there for what felt like hours, just gazing at each other and whispering 'I love you' back and forth for a while as if once wasn't enough. Neither Tate, nor Violet could ever get sick of hearing the other proclaim their love. "I love you so much, Violet." He whispered as he stroked her cheek and took her hands in his. "My Violet." He said. Hearing him call her his made her heart beat like crazy.

She let a tear escape her eye.

"Violet, what's wrong?" Tate whispered in concern as oppose to sudden panic. She smiled and shook her head, more tears coming down.

"I just missed you so much. There hasn't been one day where I haven't thought about you, Tate." She choked the words out while still trying to maintain a whisper. Tate rested a hand on her back and pulled her closer to him, burying her face in his chest. He could feel tears of his own coming down.

"I missed you too, Violet." He kissed the top of her head. They weren't in silence for long before they heard Evan crying from inside the house.

* * *

Violet rushed through the front door. Tate had disappeared when she got inside; she assumed he'd meet her up in their son's room. When she shut the door behind her, she heard loud music playing from the living room. When she walked in, she saw nothing but liquor bottles and garbage all across the floor. She was sickened by what she saw next: all of the men were getting very intimate with women who dressed trashy enough to be prostitutes. Half of them were being straddled and dry humped by girls who looked like Janis Joplin look-a-likes, while the other half was dry humping Courtney Love wannabes. She stood in the doorway until she spotted Ethan on the couch, actually screwing one of the girls. Violet was furious; not because she was seeing, as she guessed, her ex-boyfriend doing another woman the same night they broke up, but because he had the nerve to do it while her son was in the house.

She stomped over to the iPod dock that connected to a set of speakers on the coffee table and unplugged it. Everyone stopped what they were doing to turn and look at Violet, who's face turned blood red out of anger. She turned her attention to Ethan who was obviously wasted and lying still on top of his whore, still inside her. "Well, hey there, V-Vi." He hiccupped a drunken welcome. "Come to join the party?" He motioned to everyone who was smiling at the idea. She could easily tell that Mick and Jamie were stoned _and _drunk, while Ethan and Andrew were just completely plastered.

"You son of a bitch!" She snapped, making everyone jump. Ethan jumped off of his girl and stumbled towards Violet as he worked to fix his pants. She watched him approach her.

Ethan turned to look at everyone. "Eh, why don't you guys go take your lady friends upstairs?" He suggested.

"No!" She yelled and he turned back to face her with a calm, drunk look. "You all can take your nasty bitches and leave." She ordered. The guys didn't seem to care; they fixed themselves, grabbed a couple of bottles of Jack Daniels and left the house with their women.

"You need to get laid, bitch!" One of the girls yelled back from outside. She ignored her because her anger was focused on the one asshole that stood in front of her.

"Now why…why did you that, Vi?" He asked, trying to keep his balance.

"You have got some nerve bringing those girls into this house, while smoking pot, getting wasted and having sex with my son upstairs!" She yelled. She couldn't contain her anger anymore. Ethan just stood there giving her a look like he couldn't understand her.

"What?" He asked. She rolled her eyes and fought back the urge to punch him.

"I thought Evan was safe in this house with you while I slept outside in the van!" She yelled again. "I guess I was proven wrong when I walked in here seeing you getting diseased by nasty girls!" And out of nowhere, Violet's head swung to side before she hit the floor. Had Ethan just _punched_ her? She held her face and felt a hot liquid pouring down. She looked at her hand to see blood. He had broken the skin of her cheek!

"Now you listen to me you ungrateful bitch! You're in my house now and I will not be spoken to like an idiot!" He yelled down at her. Violet no longer felt any fear since she figured her son was in danger.

"Well maybe if you didn't act like one, I wouldn't have to!" She yelled back, not looking up to see his face. She suddenly felt a hard blow to her ribs. She whimpered in pain as she fell down to her side, curling into a ball.

Violet strained to listen for Evan's crying from upstairs. But when she didn't hear it, she was happy at the thought that Tate must be with him. She rubbed her side to help soothe the pain, but it didn't help when Ethan shot his foot into her again. She screamed in pain this time. She soon heard heels clicking down the hallway as Moira ran into the room. "Ms. Violet, what's going on?" She asked in panic, clutching the material of her dress in shock.

Ethan turned and pointed at Moira. "Stay out of this, hag!" He yelled at her. Suddenly, Violet noticed that Ethan had stilled, not taking his eyes off of Moira. She figured he was now seeing her in her younger form. "Well, hello there." He said as he took slow steps towards the maid. Violet took this as an opportunity to grab one of the empty liquor bottles. She grabbed an empty tequila bottle and slowly managed to get to her feet. Ethan had made it about two feet away before shards of glass went flying everywhere. He collapsed to the floor and there stood Violet, with a broken bottle neck in her hand.

"Asshole." She muttered, still clutching her side. Moira quickly tried to tend to her wounds.

"Violet, you're hurt." She said in panic again. She winced when Moira tried lifting her shirt.

"No," she winced, but Moira ignored her. "Evan…where's Evan?" She asked in much concern.

"Tate has him, he's fine." Moira assured her. Violet calmed down a little, but she couldn't help but worry about her baby boy.

"I need to go see him, make sure he's okay." She said, pulling from Moira's assistance and slowly made it to the stairs. Violet only managed to step on the first stair before Moira yelled behind her.

"Violet!" Violet turned suddenly to see the maid had disappeared before she saw something white come out of nowhere and clock her in the eyebrow. She fell to floor with a loud thump. She looked around in a state of disorientation. She suddenly felt herself being dragged down a hallway, picked up and laid on a couch.

"Ethan…" She said through her temporary daze. She soon felt her legs being roughly spread apart. She knew what was going on, but her lack of physical capability couldn't do much to help her.

"Now that have your full cooperation, you'll give me what I want." She faintly heard him growl as he unbuckled his jeans and ripped her shorts off. Violet felt tears stream down her face. "You will give me my baby." He growled as he positioned himself over her. Before she could find the energy to fight him off, she felt his weight leave her as she saw Tate leap over the back of the couch and tackling Ethan to the floor.

"I told you I would kill you if you touched her again." Tate growled before throwing in a few punches and finally gripping his hands around Ethan's neck. Violet weakly fell to the floor and slowly crawled towards Tate. She noticed Ethan's eyes rolling to the back of his head as he tried to fight Tate off and fight for air.

"Tate…" I called him in a weak voice as I got closer. "Tate!" I called a little stronger this time as I rested my hand on his arm. He slowly turned to look at me through blonde bangs and angry dark eyes. I shook my head at him. "Not on the property." I said and Tate looked back at the man underneath him.

Tate leaned down close to Ethan's face as he slowly released his death grip on the man he tried to kill a second time. "When your friends get back, I want you gone. If you're not gone by sunrise, I will kill each and every one of you." He growled. "If you lay one more hand on what's mine again, I will torture you until you beg for death. Do you understand me?" He growled through gritted teeth. It took Ethan a while, but he eventually nodded.

And with that, Tate took Violet into his arms and carried her up to Evan's room where Moira was watching over the sleeping boy in the crib. Tate laid her down on a pile of blankets on the floor and kneeled down next to her. Moira kneeled down on her other side and began cleaning Violet up. Tate had wrapped a sheet over Violet's lower half to cover up her naked skin. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Violet's lips as Moira continued to fix her up. "I love you, Violet." He whispered into her ear.

"Mm…I love you too, Tate." She said in a weak voice. He smiled as tears rose to his eyes. Moira smiled at the sight in front of her, but she couldn't be distracted.

When Moira had finished bandaging Violet, she left and Tate lay down beside his beautiful Violet. He rubbed her shoulder and whispered sweet things to her, hoping to make her feel a little better. But they both knew that she felt better immediately when she found that she was resting close by to her true love and their son.


	8. Forever

Ethan and the rest of the band were gone before the sun came up. His face was pretty bruised from the altercation with Tate. Violet watched from her bedroom window as the camper backed out of the driveway and down the street, turning at the first corner and they were gone. Tate walked up behind Violet in silence and wrapped his arms around her waist and nestled his face in the crook of her neck. "You going to miss him?" He asked.

Violet slid her hands over Tate's and squeezed them. "I'm going to miss seeing the man I loved." Tate sighed and pulled away. Violet quickly turned and pulled him back to her and placed her hand over his chest where his heart was. "But I've missed the man I fell in love with." They both smiled before Tate leaned down to capture Violet's lips with his own. She wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly pulled away. "So what happens now?" She asked Tate.

"It'll be like it's always been since you came back." He said. She nodded, considering his words. "But…" She looked up to meet his eyes. "We could make one tiny adjustment, if you want." He suggested. Violet raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, Vi?" Tate asked as turned the water on in the bathtub. Violet stood in the doorway of the bathroom, just staring the tub as she thought about reconsidering the choice she'd made. Once she carried it out, there was no going back, but if it meant spending an eternity with the one person she loved more than anything and anyone, there was nothing that could hold her back.

She walked up until she was a few inches from Tate and nodded. He nodded back and motioned her into the tub. "Hold on." She said as she held up her index finger. She stripped off every piece of clothing she was wearing before stepping into the warm water. Before she sat down, she reached out to Tate. "Will you come in with me?" Violet asked a little hesitant. Tate could sense she was nervous, and maybe scared to do it alone. Before he got into the tub, he walked over and locked the bathroom door and moved back to the side of the tub before removing all of his clothing.

He climbed in behind her and pulled her against him. When Violet was settled against Tate's chest, she took a deep breath. She took the razor from the edge of the tub and rotated it in her hands for a moment. He leaned down so his lips ghosted over her ear. "Are you ready?" He whispered. She continued to stare at the blade in between her fingers.

She took another deep breath. "Can you do it for me?" He was confused now.

"Vi, you've done this before."

"I cut to feel the sting and the pain, but I never imagined doing it to end my life." She said in a low voice. Tate took a deep breath and took the razor from Violet. "Don't leave me." She choked as tears came to her eyes. Tate wrapped his arms around her, making her feel secure. Her only major insecurity was their son down the hall.

"I'm not going anywhere." He whispered into her ear. "I love you."

"I love you too." She said before handing her wrist to Tate. Tate kissed along the skin of her arm where the vein was visible before he deeply sliced through the delicate skin. Violet winced at the pain and dropped her arm into the water. There was a clink on the bathroom floor from Tate dropping the razor. He quickly wrapped his arms around Violet as he watched and felt the life in her disappear.

* * *

A while after Violet's body had drained of life in the bathtub, Tate left to go and check on Evan. He promised Violet he wouldn't leave, but their son was a concern of his. He walked into the little boy's room and found him sitting on the carpet of his floor playing with his trucks. When he saw Tate he began to laugh in excitement and held his arms out to his dad. Tate smiled and walked in to wrap the toddler in his arms.

He looked over the boy's features: he had curly blonde hair like Tate, big brown eyes like Violet and pale skin like the both of them. Tate still couldn't get over the fact that he had managed to get a living person pregnant. But if he had to be happy about being a parent, it would be because the child was mothered by the one person he could call his and the one person he loved more than anyone or anything.

After a few minutes of gazing over his son's features, Tate felt a hand rub his shoulder. He turned his head to look down and see Violet looking up at him and Evan with a wide smile on her face. She had never seen something so beautiful like the one before her. She watched the love of her life bond with their child. She wanted to cry at the sight, but something held them back. Tate leaned over and brushed a quick kiss on her forehead.

"I don't think I've ever seen something as beautiful as this." She said, not taking her eyes off of Evan. Tate smiled at the little boy in his arms and back to Violet.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone nearly as beautiful as you." Violet looked up into Tate's dark eyes and blushed. She could never get over the feelings Tate gave her when he would compliment her, kiss her, and touch her, anything. She sealed her fate in the Murder House with the one person she loved more than anyone…besides Evan.

"I love you, Tate Langdon. For all that you are." She whispered, eyes not leaving his. A tear rolled down his cheek because he knew that he had his light back in his dark world and he was never going to let her go again.

"I love you too, Violet Harmon." He said back. They both met each other half way and pressed their lips together. The passion that ran through their kiss was indescribable to both of them. Evan began to squirm in his dad's arms.

"Ew! No!" Evan laughed and tried to pull his parents' faces apart. They both looked at the little boy and laughed at him.

* * *

**One Year Later…**

Tate and Violet had spent most of their time taking care of Evan, doing their own thing from to time, or having their own time together while Moira took over for a while. Evan could keep a smile on anyone's face, especially Moira, which is why she found so much joy in watching the little boy. Evan was almost four and the bigger he got, the more he began to look like Tate, which surprised Violet, but she knew that he could get any girl he wanted the way Tate did when he was alive.

About six months after Violet had killed herself, she found out that Ethan and his band had broken up and he overdosed on coke and sleeping pills. She was sad when she heard the news, but it wasn't something she wanted to concern herself with anymore. Ethan was a former part of her life, so she had to let that part go. She would always hold a place in her heart for him, but Tate knew he had her whole heart.

* * *

Tate and Violet lay on her bed, wrapped up in her sheets together. Violet sat up against the iron headboard while Tate rests his head on her lap while she ran her fingers through his blonde curls.

"Are you happy, Vi?" Tate mumbled. Violet looked down at Tate who soon turned his head to look up into her eyes.

"I'm with you and our son, Tate. That's all I need to be happy." She smiled.

Tate sat up and looked at Violet. "I just want you to be happy, Violet. Nothing matters to me more than to see a true smile on your face every day." Violet cupped Tate's cheek in her hand as she continued to smile at him.

"As long as you're in my life, I don't think I could fake a smile, a laugh, or anything. You're here with me right now and that's all I've hoped for before I came back her." Tate felt a tear slip down his cheek as he listened to her words. He cupped her cheek in his hand and pulled her face towards his as their lips connected. Violet pulled away after a moment. "I love you, Tate, and this is my forever." She whispered against his lips.

He continued to cup her face. "I love you too, Violet, and nothing will take you or Evan away from me again. I promise." Their lips connected again.

* * *

_**Thank you for all the good reviews you guys have given me. :) I plan to write more Violate fanfics, but lately I've come up empty handed with story ideas. Any thoughts? Let me know!**_


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